Constantinopolitan Malabi is one of the most popular desserts in the Constantinople-Greek cuisine. Constantinopolitan Malabi captivating the aroma of rose petals and Chios mastic is a refreshingly floral dessert. Constantinopolitan Malabi is a traditional, vintage, no-bake dessert. Even though Constantinopolitan Malabi is a gourmet dessert, my recipe is simple, vintage-inspired, vegan, and gluten-free!

Put the cornflour and rice flour in a bowl. Slowly pour 1/2 cup of the coconut milk in the bowl, add 1/2 cup water whisking to dissolve any lumps until the mixture is smooth.

Place the brown sugar and Chios mastic tears in a food processor and pulse to get a fine powder.

Add the rest of the milk, plus the sugar-mastic mixture to a small pan. Set on medium-low heat. Stir to dissolve sugar.

After about 5', it starts boiling. Bring the milk to boil and lower the heat. Stir in the flour and milk mixture. Using a wooden spoon, whisk well to remove any lumps. Cook over low heat for 2'-3' minutes while stirring constantly because the pudding thickens quite fast. Remove from heat.

Place a pyrex or a metallic dish under running water. Pour the hot malabi pudding inside the wet dish. Cool it completely, and then refrigerate it for about 2 hours.

Traditionally a piece of malabi is served with a tablespoon of rose petal spoon sweet over it and topped with chopped pistachios.

Recipe Notes

Retro Recipe

Malabi is a traditional Constantinopolitan-Greek summery decadent dessert that has its roots in Constantinople, Asia Minor, and Pontos. According to the vintage recipe, malabi is made with full fat cow milk. I have veganized the recipe; for the original recipe that calls for cow milk, I have substituted coconut milk. Coconut milk enhances the fine scent of Chios mastic and thus it makes malabi deliciously aromatic; interestingly enough, coconut milk compliments the other ingredients more than full fat cow milk. You might stumble across many different versions of malabi dessert recipe because malabi is all over the Middle East; it is one of the most loved traditional desserts in Syria and Lebanon. In Cyprus people call it muhallebi; Cypriots use water instead of milk and the pudding is topped with syrup. Recipes vary a little; some call for a combination of milk and cream, others for water or rice milk, some flavor the malabi with rosewater, others with syrup, top it with shredded coconut or peanuts or walnuts, though the oldest recipe calls for mastic, rose petals spoon sweet, and pistachios. All versions agree on the ingredients ratio which for malabi is 6:1, liquids to solids.

Malabi — a rose-flavored sweetness and a mastic-infused light cream topped with pistachios — is the perfect ending to every meal! This is the best dessert for children and for dinner parties.

Tea pairing

For the tea lovers and fanatics who passionately seek food and tea pairings and yearn to explore the dynamic between the aromas and flavors we find in teas and food, mentha pulegium or pennyroyal tea is delightful with malabi. This Greek herbal tea with its delicate and minty flavor awakens your senses, balances and even accentuates the Constantinopolitan malabi dessert.

Moreover, I strongly recommend the rosebud white tea as the perfect sipping partner. Rosebud white tea and the rose-flavored Constantinopolitan malabi is the best vegan dessert-and-tea combination you will ever taste!

Gluten-free

Constantinopolitan malabi is gluten-free! If you're on a gluten-free diet, do miss out on life's simple pleasures, malabi.